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CHAPTER XXXVI
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We did not oversleep at St. Nicholas. The church-bell began to ring at four-thirty in the morning, and from the length of time it continued to ring I judged that it takes the Swiss sinner a good while to get the invitation through his head. Most church-bells in the world are of poor quality, and have a harsh and rasping sound which upsets the temper and produces much sin, but the St. Nicholas bell is a good deal the worst one that has been contrived1 yet, and is peculiarly maddening in its operation. Still, it may have its right and its excuse to exist, for the community is poor and not every citizen can afford a clock, perhaps; but there cannot be any excuse for our church-bells at home, for there is no family in America without a clock, and consequently there is no fair pretext2 for the usual Sunday medley3 of dreadful sounds that issues from our steeples. There is much more profanity in America on Sunday than in all in the other six days of the week put together, and it is of a more bitter and malignant4 character than the week-day profanity, too. It is produced by the cracked-pot clangor of the cheap church-bells.
We build our churches almost without regard to cost; we rear an edifice5 which is an adornment6 to the town, and we gild7 it, and fresco8 it, and mortgage it, and do everything we can think of to perfect it, and then spoil it all by putting a bell on it which afflicts9 everybody who hears it, giving some the headache, others St. Vitus’s dance, and the rest the blind staggers.
An American village at ten o’clock on a summer Sunday is the quietest and peacefulest and holiest thing in nature; but it is a pretty different thing half an hour later. Mr. Poe’s poem of the “Bells” stands incomplete to this day; but it is well enough that it is so, for the public reciter or “reader” who goes around trying to imitate the sounds of the various sorts of bells with his voice would find himself “up a stump” when he got to the church-bell—as Joseph Addison would say. The church is always trying to get other people to reform; it might not be a bad idea to reform itself a little, by way of example. It is still clinging to one or two things which were useful once, but which are not useful now, neither are they
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1
contrived
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| adj.不自然的,做作的;虚构的 | |
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pretext
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| n.借口,托词 | |
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medley
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| n.混合 | |
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malignant
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| adj.恶性的,致命的;恶意的,恶毒的 | |
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edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿,教室) | |
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adornment
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| n.装饰;装饰品 | |
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gild
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| vt.给…镀金,把…漆成金色,使呈金色 | |
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fresco
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| n.壁画;vt.作壁画于 | |
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afflicts
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| 使受痛苦,折磨( afflict的名词复数 ) | |
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ornamental
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| adj.装饰的;作装饰用的;n.装饰品;观赏植物 | |
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pulp
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| n.果肉,纸浆;v.化成纸浆,除去...果肉,制成纸浆 | |
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hymn
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| n.赞美诗,圣歌,颂歌 | |
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relic
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| n.神圣的遗物,遗迹,纪念物 | |
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costly
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| adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的;仅仅,只不过 | |
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scattered
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| adj.分散的,稀疏的;散步的;疏疏落落的 | |
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shamefully
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| 可耻地; 丢脸地; 不体面地; 羞耻地 | |
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truthful
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| adj.真实的,说实话的,诚实的 | |
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denominations
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| n.宗派( denomination的名词复数 );教派;面额;名称 | |
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judiciously
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| adv.明断地,明智而审慎地 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单,简易;朴素;直率,单纯 | |
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ward
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| n.守卫,监护,病房,行政区,由监护人或法院保护的人(尤指儿童);vt.守护,躲开 | |
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reeking
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| v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的现在分词 );散发臭气;发出难闻的气味 (of sth);明显带有(令人不快或生疑的跡象) | |
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butt
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| n.笑柄;烟蒂;枪托;臀部;v.用头撞或顶 | |
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glacier
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| n.冰川,冰河 | |
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alpine
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| adj.高山的;n.高山植物 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的;巨大的 | |
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snarling
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| v.(指狗)吠,嗥叫, (人)咆哮( snarl的现在分词 );咆哮着说,厉声地说 | |
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alleys
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| 胡同,小巷( alley的名词复数 ); 小径 | |
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foulness
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| n. 纠缠, 卑鄙 | |
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inverted
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| adj.反向的,倒转的v.使倒置,使反转( invert的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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turnip
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| n.萝卜,芜菁 | |
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dome
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| n.圆屋顶,拱顶 | |
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torpid
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| adj.麻痹的,麻木的,迟钝的 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地,无可非议地,彻底地 | |
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trot
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| n.疾走,慢跑;n.老太婆;现成译本;(复数)trots:腹泻(与the 连用);v.小跑,快步走,赶紧 | |
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sarcasm
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| n.讥讽,讽刺,嘲弄,反话 (adj.sarcastic) | |
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growled
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| v.(动物)发狺狺声, (雷)作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 );低声咆哮着说 | |
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majestic
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| adj.雄伟的,壮丽的,庄严的,威严的,崇高的 | |
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concealed
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| a.隐藏的,隐蔽的 | |
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gravel
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| n.砂跞;砂砾层;结石 | |
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speck
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| n.微粒,小污点,小斑点 | |
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whitewash
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| v.粉刷,掩饰;n.石灰水,粉刷,掩饰 | |
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torrent
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| n.激流,洪流;爆发,(话语等的)连发 | |
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perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的,直立的;n.垂直线,垂直的位置 | |
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slanted
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| 有偏见的; 倾斜的 | |
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scramble
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| v.爬行,攀爬,杂乱蔓延,碎片,片段,废料 | |
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darted
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| v.投掷,投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 );向前冲,飞奔 | |
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verge
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| n.边,边缘;v.接近,濒临 | |
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boulders
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| n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 );巨砾;(受水或天气侵蚀而成的)巨石;漂砾 | |
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inborn
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| adj.天生的,生来的,先天的 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激,感谢 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地;表面上,似乎 | |
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immortal
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| adj.不朽的;永生的,不死的;神的 | |
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frivolous
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| adj.轻薄的;轻率的 | |
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renowned
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| adj.著名的,有名望的,声誉鹊起的 | |
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steadily
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| adv.稳定地;不变地;持续地 | |
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copper
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| n.铜;铜币;铜器;adj.铜(制)的;(紫)铜色的 | |
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monarch
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| n.帝王,君主,最高统治者 | |
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peculiarity
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| n.独特性,特色;特殊的东西;怪癖 | |
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standing
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| n.持续,地位;adj.永久的,不动的,直立的,不流动的 | |
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colossal
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| adj.异常的,庞大的 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好,癖好;adj.弯的;决心的,一心的 | |
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elevation
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| n.高度;海拔;高地;上升;提高 | |
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apex
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| n.顶点,最高点 | |
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streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的,不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 );使布满条纹 | |
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isolation
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| n.隔离,孤立,分解,分离 | |
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precipitated
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| v.(突如其来地)使发生( precipitate的过去式和过去分词 );促成;猛然摔下;使沉淀 | |
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precipice
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| n.悬崖,危急的处境 | |
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imposing
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| adj.使人难忘的,壮丽的,堂皇的,雄伟的 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来;以后 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的,伟大的;极度的,不顾后果的 | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大,崇高,宏伟,庄严,豪华 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的,优雅的;得体的 | |
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cascade
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| n.小瀑布,喷流;层叠;vi.成瀑布落下 | |
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aloof
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| adj.远离的;冷淡的,漠不关心的 | |
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sociable
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| adj.好交际的,友好的,合群的 | |
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implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 );家具;手段;[法律]履行(契约等)v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 );执行;贯彻;使生效 | |
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slung
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| 抛( sling的过去式和过去分词 ); 吊挂; 遣送; 押往 | |
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glaciers
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| 冰河,冰川( glacier的名词复数 ) | |
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mules
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| 骡( mule的名词复数 ); 拖鞋; 顽固的人; 越境运毒者 | |
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outgrow
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| vt.长大得使…不再适用;成长得不再要 | |
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artillery
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| n.(军)火炮,大炮;炮兵(部队) | |
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precipices
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| n.悬崖,峭壁( precipice的名词复数 ) | |
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strictly
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| adv.严厉地,严格地;严密地 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地,绝对地 | |
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unpacked
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| v.从(包裹等)中取出(所装的东西),打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 );拆包;解除…的负担;吐露(心事等) | |
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laden
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| adj.装满了的;充满了的;负了重担的;苦恼的 | |
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feat
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| n.功绩;武艺,技艺;adj.灵巧的,漂亮的,合适的 | |
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fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔;刚毅 | |
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mania
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| n.疯狂;躁狂症,狂热,癖好 | |
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interfere
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| v.(in)干涉,干预;(with)妨碍,打扰 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的,直截了当的 | |
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surmounted
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| 战胜( surmount的过去式和过去分词 ); 克服(困难); 居于…之上; 在…顶上 | |
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obstruction
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| n.阻塞,堵塞;障碍物 | |
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ascending
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| adj.上升的,向上的 | |
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bluff
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| v.虚张声势,用假象骗人;n.虚张声势,欺骗 | |
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chasm
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| n.深坑,断层,裂口,大分岐,利害冲突 | |
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brace
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| n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备 | |
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sleet
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| n.雨雪;v.下雨雪,下冰雹 | |
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gale
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| n.大风,强风,一阵闹声(尤指笑声等) | |
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goggles
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| n.护目镜 | |
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declivity
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| n.下坡,倾斜面 | |
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baton
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| n.乐队用指挥杖 | |
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frantic
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| adj.狂乱的,错乱的,激昂的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地,充分地 | |
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spurting
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| (液体,火焰等)喷出,(使)涌出( spurt的现在分词 ); (短暂地)加速前进,冲刺; 溅射 | |
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gushed
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| v.喷,涌( gush的过去式和过去分词 );滔滔不绝地说话 | |
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pulsation
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| n.脉搏,悸动,脉动;搏动性 | |
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scrambling
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞 | |
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descended
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| a.为...后裔的,出身于...的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的;有造诣的;达到了的 | |
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CHAPTER XXXV
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CHAPTER XXXVII
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